When I was applying to schools, I had made up my mind that I was going to attend a university. I had the grades to do so and didn’t really consider college as an option. But in my research, I realized that it is hard to find a university that focused solely on Graphic Design. Most university design programs consisted of four-year degrees that covered every element of communications from Journalism to Photography, with a fourth year option to concentrate in Graphic Design.
With Graphic Design solely on my mind, I didn’t want to spend extra time learning the other areas of communication. Fanshawe, my college of choice, had a three-year program which focused precisely on the career choice I had in mind. Located in the student hub of London, Ontario, Fanshawe appealed to me because of its to-the-point course structure and state of the art facility.
Application Process
Prior to being accepted to Fanshawe, I had years of experience working in a Mac environment (which the program was taught in) as I grew up with one in my household. Although being computer-savvy gave me the upper hand, creativity and a sense of good design didn’t necessarily require years of experience, just a genuine interest in learning the craft.
Besides taking a basic HTML course, grade 12 art, and a few business classes, I did not have the opportunity to take any design classes in high school. I did not have to provide a portfolio when applying to the program, but as the industry has grown and enrollment has skyrocketed, I believe it is now a requirement.
Don’t be discouraged if you are like me and illustration isn’t necessarily your forte.
Program Structure
The first year consists of several illustration, theory and concept classes. Heavy focus on conceptualizing ideas on paper, learning about space and typography and good old fashioned drawing consumed most of the first year. Don’t be discouraged if you are like me and illustration isn’t necessarily your forte. The teachers understand that not everyone is Michelangelo, they will grade you on the concepts behind the project. The second and third years are much more computer-oriented than the first. After surviving the first year, you will understand the importance of thumbnails, research and typography. The best thing about Fanshawe’s GD program is that they give you the foundation and understanding you need to release your inner most creative thoughts and express them through your work.
Along with the artistic classes, you will also have one to two classes a week dedicated to learning a design program, such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop; and web programs like Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks. These key programs are taught throughout the three years. Secondary programs such as Corel Painter and 3D modeling software may be touched upon in the third year. In addition to all these classes, you will also have to learn the technical and business side of Graphic Design through time management, presentation, pre-press and materials classes.
The program is heavily project based. As the projects make up so much of your grades, classes total about 16 hours a week. The rest of the time you are expected to use the classrooms to work on projects. Don’t be fooled by the relaxed schedule, the projects are time intensive and can be frustratingly difficult.
Along with the compulsory classes, you will have to complete a general education class each semester (two a year). They may have little to do with Graphic Design, but can help you continue your education in other areas. GD classes take place in the new “H” wing of Fanshawe, where you will run into other Interior Designers, Fashion Designers and Multimedia students.
Although they recommend text books, I found that they weren’t really used.
The teaching staff is made up of a unique blend of industry professionals. These aren’t your stuffy high school math teachers; these people work in the industry and do well at it. In my experience, all the teachers were friendly and helpful. Classes are divided up into groups of about 15-20 students, you stay with your group for the entire three years. Although they recommend text books, I found that they weren’t really used. If you want to read one out of interest, I would recommend buying a used one or get a group of people to share the cost. Although you will save on text book costs, you are expected to buy other materials like presentation boards, markers, pencils, portfolio cases, stock photography, and etc. All projects must be professionally printed and mounted for presentation which does require some arts & crafts skills. You will also be required to present most of your projects to the class and accept criticism.
Throughout my three years at Fanshawe, I was able to hand draw the alphabet in Times New Roman, draw a detailed car in Illustrator, construct a magazine, photoshop a movie poster, build an advertising campaign for the Toronto Zoo, create advertising for Tim Horton’s, design stationery for the London Market, build a website for a rock band and take my own photography in a studio. The many ups and downs of this program prepared me for a successful career in Graphic Design.
The Only Downside
My only dissatisfaction with Fanshawe’s GD program is that the web design courses were not intense enough. At the end of my three years there, I was able to build a personal website but I really wasn’t confident enough to build a website for a client. If you are more interested in building websites than graphics, I would recommend looking into a web development course. This course will teach you HTML and CSS basics and the fundamentals of great web site design (not to be mistaken with web development). If Javascript, CSS coding and PHP are your thing, be a web developer. You will find in the job market that many employers don’t know the difference. If you are lucky enough to have artistic creativity and technical coding capabilities, then you will do well. But don’t be discouraged if you can’t write CSS code from scratch at the end of your three years, there is still a market for web DESIGNERS, as many web developers don’t have and will need your creative touch.
The Verdict
Since graduating I have been lucky enough to work with magazines, newspapers, tourism committees, an event company and finally with a government agency. Experience was a great asset for me when applying for jobs; I did freelance work in between to stay current in the industry.
The skills you learn at Fanshawe won’t be overlooked among the sea of self-proclaimed designers.
Currently, I work as the Graphic Specialist at Ontario Lotto and Gaming in Toronto working on corporate and internal marketing. I use the knowledge I gained at Fanshawe everyday as it gave me the solid foundation to continue learning in an ever-changing industry. Although it is difficult to find a job in this over saturated market, the skills you learn at Fanshawe won’t be overlooked among the sea of self-proclaimed designers. Keep working at it and you may just become the envy of all the paper pushers in the office.
You can see my online portfolio at hayesdesign.ca.
(4 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
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Web Designers have to know CSS, HTML, XHTML (a.k.a. Markup) as a minimum by potential employers. If you want to be a competitive designer you have to know and understand these things. Markup is not the same as what developers do, and some developers don’t even learn this aspect of web design because it is left up to the designers by employers.
I do have to agree with one thing though. We had some graphic design students that transfered over to the Multimedia Design Program because they felt that there wasn’t enough of a web element to the GD program, and vise versa for the MMDP program, not having enough on the GD areas.